


Paw Prints

by AmputeeTrainee



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Gen, Kink Meme, Kitty antics, Nekotalia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-25
Updated: 2013-09-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 14:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/979769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmputeeTrainee/pseuds/AmputeeTrainee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>America agrees to watch Russia's cat while he's on vacation in Siberia. What could go wrong? De-anon. Nekotalia. Slight RusAme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"May I ask a favor of you?"

Alfred hated how sickeningly sweet and polite the other's voice was and frowned at the cellphone he held in his hand. He bit his tongue for a moment, stopping the kneejerk 'No' from slipping past his lips. He had to be civil; his boss was so avid about that these days.

"Yea, sure Russia." He answered sounding as chipper as he could. "Why can I do for ya?"

"Well, you see, I need someone to, ah what's the word, babysit for me."

He listened to the phone, arching a blonde eyebrow. Babysit? This time Alfred couldn't stop himself from say the first thing that came to mind.

"You have a kid?"

"Nyet, a cat."

"…You have a cat?"

"Da."

"And it's like…alive?"

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?"

It seemed strange to Alfred that Russia would keep an animal in his house. He just didn't give off the nurturing or caring vibe at all.

"Ah, I don't know, I just didn't think you would have a cat or anything." Alfred supplied lamely. "You just don't seem like the pet owning type." He couldn't help but feel that he was digging himself into a hole, if only a little.

"Well, I guess you thought wrong then." Russia's voice crackled through the receiver twice as sugary as before.

He winced slightly at the tone in Russia's voice. If the Cold War had taught him anything that sweet and light lilt in the others speech was always a bad thing. No good could come of it. Alfred cleared his throat.

"Yea, well anyway, so you want me to cat-sit for you?"

"Da."

"When?"

"Next week, if you can."

In all honesty Alfred really wasn't doing much of anything, just the usual. There was no reason to refuse the other, even though he wanted to. It was hero's duty to help someone in need. Heck, coming here would probably be like a vacation for the poor creature that was living in Russia's house. It would be inhumane to let it suffer, right?

"Yea, sure, I can do it." He answered. "Oh, but I do have a cat of my own, that's not going to be a problem, is it?" Secretly, he kind of hoped it would be.

"No, no problem at all, my cat is very friendly."

A sarcastic 'Riiight' floated through Alfred's mind, but he had to take Russia at his word. Calling the man a liar over a cat wouldn't win him any points.

"All right, then I guess I'll see you sometime next week?" He asked.

"Da, I'll see you Monday morning." There was a moment of hesitation. "And, thank you America."

"Sure, no problem." He laughed lightly into the phone scratching the back of his head awkwardly with his free hand, not having expected the other's thanks. "A hero's gotta do what a hero's gotta do, right?"

A pause, static hisses between them.

"Do svidanya."

"Yea dosewdanya to you too man."

He could hear the other end of the line click and fall silent. Alfred just pressed the end button on his iPhone and pocketed it. Giving a sigh he ran his fingers through his hair, wondering if agreeing had really been the best course of action. What kind of cat would Russia own? Something dangerous he decided, possibly demonic. Clearly, it couldn't be a normal cat; it was living with Russia after all.

Suddenly, he felt a small body rubbing itself against his leg. Looking down he smiled at the little cat that was staring up at him with big blue eyes.

"Looks like you're going to be having some company little guy." He said, giving the cat's head a pat. The little animal gave a meow in reply.

"You're a tough dude, I'm sure you can handle it." He said and smiled. "You're going to have to show that Russian cat the American way, just like any hero, okay?" Alfred asked scratching the white fur under the cat's chin, a loud purr instantly came from the animal. "Attaboy."

Meanwhile in Moscow, Ivan placed the receiver of his rotary phone back into its cradle. He glanced over his shoulder to look at the eyes he knew had been drilling into the back of his head for the past few minutes.

"I know," Ivan said evenly. "But no one else would say yes."

The cat sitting behind him merely swished its long fluffy tail.

"It won't be so bad."

The watchful violet eyes of the animals never left his own.

He gave a sigh, and turned around. Falling to one knee, he held out his hand for the other to accept. The large cat just stared back at him impassively, silently rejected the offer.

"We both know I can't take you with me little one, you wouldn't do well on a vacation to Siberia." Ivan stated matter-of-factly and then smiled at the cat. "Besides America is good with animals," He wasn't sure if America was really good with pets or not, but a white lie wouldn't hurt. "He has a cat of his own."

At that the feline titled its head in interest.

"Da, you see you'll have someone to play with, isn't that nice little one?" Ivan said cheerfully.

The cat seemed to agree with him because it finally moved forward, rubbing its gray head against his outstretched hand. A soft, rumbling purr emanated from its throat. Ivan's smile widened, becoming more genuine.

"See, there, not so bad, right?" He asked as he opened his arms.

The cat appeared to approve as it willingly came into his arms, purring contently as it curled up against the warmth of his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred was fairly sure Russia couldn't behave like a normal human being if his life depended on it. True to his word, the Russian did show up on his doorstep that Monday at five in the morning. He didn't even call to say what time he would actually arrive. He just showed up, at five, and hammered a fist against the front door until Alfred wearily rolled out of bed.

Captain America boxers and all, Alfred groggily stumbled down the stairs, because he knew the pounding wouldn't cease until he received Russia. He just wasn't sure if he would greet the other or punch him in the face just yet once he opened the door. Being a hero required about eight hours of sleep, two cups of coffee, and a bowl of Cap'n Crunch. Presently, he didn't have any of those things. Alfred was not a hero right now, just a very tired and disgruntled man. Opening the door, he fought the urge to land his fist right into that smiling face that welcomed him.

"Dobroye utro!" The cheerful voice called grating against his ears.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Alfred asked, fingers curling around his doorframe to keep from lashing out at his guest.

"Da, and I have arrived as I have said."

"You never said you would show up at five." He couldn't keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Ah, but you see, you never asked for the exact the time, just an open-ended when."

Alfred's lips twitched at that, but no retort came. It was too early in the morning to put effort into arguing. Blue eyes stared at the bright and smiling face for a moment. He couldn't slam the door on Russia's stupid mug, despite how much he wanted to; there was no going back on his word. That wouldn't be very heroic.

Alfred's gaze fell to the crate that was tucked securely under Russia's arm. The cage was solid plastic on all sides, save for the mesh door. He couldn't see the cat, but he could hear it. Clawed feet scrapped and clicked as it moved restlessly within its confinement and he could see gray fur whisk by the mesh opening as the animal circled. The caged beast, much like its owner, gave off foreboding waves but Alfred dismissed them, too tired to care.

"Whatever." He grumbled and moved away from the door, allowing Russia to enter.

They stood facing one another in the foyer. Only then did Alfred realize that he was standing in front of the other in nothing but his underwear. Awkward, but he tried to not let it faze him. It was Russia's fault that he'd shown up so early after all. Still, he crossed his arms over his torso, covering the slight softness of his lower abdomen, trying to hide it from view.

"So, you wanna let it out or something?" Alfred asked motioning toward the crate.

The other merely nodded. Bending down, Russia fiddled with the cage door, unlatching it. Right away, a gray head poked out and alert violet eyes took in their surroundings. Alfred's overactive imagination had convinced him that Russia's cat simply could not be normal. However, he saw no protruding fangs, black curving claws, blood thirsty eyes, or anything his mind had cooked up.

The feline took a few steps forward before sitting proudly between the two nations, watching them both with curious eyes. It was just a large gray cat with white fur trimmed around its neck and tail. The animal was a bit on the large side, but other than that it looked deceptively ordinary. Alfred squatted down to get a closer look.

"Offer your hand."

"Huh?" Alfred murmured, giving Russia a questioning look. Yet, he held out his hand toward the large cat before him.

After a session of skeptical sniffing, the feline almost looked as if it would allow him to pet it. The moment was fleeting however, and the cat soon lost interest in Alfred completely and padded away, moving toward its owner. Alfred couldn't help but frown. He was great with animals, yet the cat had rejected him in two seconds flat.

"Not the cuddliest thing is she." He muttered

"He." Russia corrected. "I'm sure he'll warm up to you in a few days."

"Yea, sure. What's the big guy's name?"

"Vanya."

Alfred stood up and gave the other a blank look.

"Seriously?"

"Da, it's a good name."

"Isn't that kinda similar to your name?"

"And your point is?"

"Well, isn't that, I don't know, kinda weird?"

"I don't think so." Russia said simply, glancing down at the cat that was making itself comfortable at his feet. "If you're so concerned about pet names, what is your animal's name?"

Alfred hesitated for a moment. "Al."

"I would say that is fairly similar to your name, is it not?" The sweet smile on Russia's lips grew.

"Maybe a little," Alfred shrugged, looking awkwardly off to the side for a moment. "Whatever, so how long am I keeping Vanya for?"

Russia paused and gave a soft hum as he thought. "I should think about two weeks, maybe a little more, I'm not exactly sure when my vacation will end."

"You're not sure?"

"Da."

"Your boss is just allowing you to be absent for two-ish weeks?" Alfred asked, rising a brow at Russia's uncertainty.

"Well, I'm going on vacation with one of them." Russia supplied. "Putin has decided to take another excursion into Siberia and he has asked me to come with him. I'm not yet sure what he has planned."

"Oh," He grunted, dismissing the subject now that he no longer cared. "So, how do I take care of this guy?" He asked nodding toward the cat at Russia's feet.

"Simply place food out for him in the evening, the rest he will deal with himself."

"Really?"

"He's a very self-sufficient cat."

"Sure." Alfred shrugged casting a skeptical glance at the feline, who simply stared back up at him.

Picking the empty cage off the floor, Russia placed it back underneath his arm.

"When I return, I will repay you for your services."

"'Kay."

"Unless you have any more questions, I will take my leave."

"Nope, I'm good." Get out.

With that Russia nodded and looked down at the cat before him. "Be good little one, see you soon." He bent down once more to give the feline an affectionate scratch behind the ears before heading toward the door.

For a brief moment Russia hovered in the doorway. "Do svidaniya, America."

"Yea, yea." Alfred waved limply. "Peace out."

As soon as the door closed Alfred could feel the eyes of the Russian cat gazing up at him inquiringly. It was creepy that those eyes were the same shade of violet as its owner's. Yawning, Alfred lazily mussed his hair with a hand.

"Make yourself at home, I guess." He said with a shrug and turned away to go up the stairs, having every intention of going back to sleep.

Blinking once the cat slunk away.

In the living room, sprawled across the seat of his favorite recliner, Al slept as if he were road kill. He lay on his back, paws splayed out in four different directions, a ridiculous but extremely comfortable position. His generous white belly rose and fell in time with his breathing. Calm and relaxed he slept without a care in the world.

Suddently, something brushed against is lower left paw. It was just a light tap, a tickle. It felt like a feather almost. Instinctively his paw curled and flexed, but he didn't wake. The sensation came again, a little more forceful this time. Al stirred a bit, kicking his hind leg lightly in the air, trying to make the feeling go away. Just as he was about to drift once more into the land of sleep the ticklish feeling came again for the third time. His ears twitched in irritation as he woke.

Drawing his hind legs toward his body, Al cracked one blue eye open and then another. He found himself looking up at the end of the chair. The arm of the recliner looked bigger than he remembered, fluffier too. Al blinked, adjusting his eyes. No, wait. That couldn't be a part of the chair, because it was looking back at him. His eyes widened.

Crouching on the arm of the recliner a big furry thing sat, observant violet eyes stared back at him.

'Hello.'

The word startled Al, who bolted upright, rolling and scrambling to get on his feet. Having never been the most graceful cat, his quick attempts landed him directly on the floor. He floundered on the ground for a second before righting himself. Once on all four paws he braced himself on the living room floor. Al held his ground and watched the monster watch him. It had to be a monster; Al couldn't tell where the creature ended and where it began.

The beast titled its head questioningly.

'You can't understand me can you?' The voice said disappointedly.

'I can understand you just fine.' Al spat, feeling his hackles start to rise along his back.

The creature didn't seem the least bit frightened.

'Oh good!' The beast cried cheerfully. 'Not all animals can you know, they have to be special.'

Al just glared up at the monster. 'What are you?'

A light sound escaped the creature. It was something like a hiss and a howl mixed together. It remained Al of his owner. People made a similar cry when they were happy. It was a strange thing really. The noise was called a laugh. The beast before him sounded like he was trying to mimic it. The monster was laughing and the noise was directed at him. Al's eyes narrowed at the realization.

'I'm a cat.' The creature hissed with laughter. 'Just like you.'

With that said the beast sat up and gracefully moved to sit on the seat of the recliner. Low and behold it was a cat. Its fur was the same grey color as the chair's upholstery. He hadn't been able to see the difference between the two until it moved.

'Oh.' Al murmured, feeling his fur flatten back into place a little. '…Why are you in my house?' He asked, not willing to trust the other feline so soon. The animal just gave off a strange vibe.

'My owner dropped me off.' The cat replied dismissively, as if the details didn't matter. 'We're going to be friends Al.'

Al's muzzle scrunched at that. 'How do you know my name?'

'Your owner told me.'

'He knows you're here?'

'Of course.'

There was a pause as sapphire and amethyst eyes stared at each other.

'I'm Vanya.'

'You're weird.'

'That's not a nice thing to say.'

'So?' Al asked, not liking how the other cat began to crouch once more.

'Because,' Vanya said, body starting to sway to build momentum. 'It's not nice to insult someone who's going to be your friend.' And with that the grey cat sprung at him.

Eyes, growing owlishly wide, Al tried to move out of the way, but the pads of his paws slipped uselessly on the hardwood floor. He managed to move forward a few inches at most, but it wasn't enough. Within seconds he was flattened by a large, fluffy body.


	3. Chapter 3

Eight o'clock came and went before Alfred decided to get himself together. Honesty, he doubted his boss would be upset if he was late, his inability to be punctual was well-known. Trekking down stairs considerably more clothed and wake than last time, he marched into the kitchen.

Now, he'd never been quite sure how he'd managed it, but he had trained Al. Sort of. If the definition of trained meant; 'give an order that was going to be followed anyway', then yes, Al was fully trained. Pursing his lips, Alfred let out a loud whistle, a literal cat-call.

"Al, breakfast!" He called, giving another shrill whistle, before he began to search through the pantry.

So far today sucked as far as Al was concerned. He should be sleeping. Should being the operative word. He wasn't though. No, right now he was watching the sunrise though the thin, glossy curtains all while giving his impromptu guest the cold shoulder. He sat hunched on the floor, ready to bolt at any moment if need be.

'You're being very rude you know.' The voice from the couch said to him, but Al ignored it. 'Is this how you treat all your guests?' The voice asked again, sounding a little hurt.

Silence. Al didn't even look over his shoulder.

'I did say I was sorry you know, I was merely saying hello."

Al's ear twitched and he couldn't stop himself. Head turning he cast the Russian cat, who had since taken up residence on the couch cushion, a dark look.

'Hello? That was hello?! You nearly crushed me!' He hissed, eyes narrowing and ears going flat against his skull.

'But I didn't, you look fine to me.' Vanya pointed eyes appraising him. 'And yes, that was a Hello. Humans give hugs all the time to those they greet.'

'Really?' Al asked incredulously.

'Yes, hugs.'

'So that was a hug?'

'Yes.'

'So you're saying that they jump on top of and try to smoother each other?' Al asked cynically. 'Because I've never seen that, ever. Like never-ever.'

'Well, maybe they don't exactly do that.' Vanya mumbled and a small pout crossed his muzzle for a second. 'But, it is the thought that counts, yes?'

'But it wasn't a thought; you really tried to crush me!' Al growled, hackles rising again.

This cat was so weird. Al watched as something like a smile curled along Vanya's gray muzzle.

'Well, I could try again?' A hissing laugh followed his words.

'No!'

Suddenly Al's ears perked up. He heard the cry of his owner calling, but more importantly he heard the tell-tale grind of the can opening starting. Creepy invader or not, nothing stood between Al and a meal. He'd have to figure out how to deal with the other later, because right now was one of his three favorite times of the day, breakfast.

Quickly rising to his feet, he scampered off, leaving the Russian cat to his own devices. His paws slipped on the hardwood as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, but he didn't care. Al skidded and careened into a table leg, but he didn't let that slow him down. He maneuvered through the obstacle course that was the kitchen table legs and promptly sat at his owner's feet. He gazed up, blue eyes sparkling in adoration.

"Aw," His owner cooed above him. "Aren't you the cutest wittle thing."

Al purred in agreement.

"All right big guy, its breakfast for three today." Alfred said and bent down to dish out the contents of the can into the two bowls.

Three? That made Al pause. He looked down, to see that were indeed twice the amount of kitty bowls than normal. Two obviously belong to him. His food and water dish were decked out with red, white and blue stars with his name written on them. The others looked like his owners, clear glass and plain.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the gray intruder slinking into view. Al turned, glaring at the other before pouncing on his food. There was no way the other was taking his rightful morning meal. Al's gusto didn't go unnoticed by the other cat, who merely sauntered up beside him.

'You shouldn't eat so quickly," Vanya noted. 'You'll choke.'

Al's quickly swallowed the hunk of tuna in his mouth before he glared at the other.

'I always eat like this.'

'Clearly.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' He hissed.

"Hey, hey." His owner called from above them, having heard the hiss, stopping midway from pouring Cap'n Crunch into his limited edition Bat Man cereal bowl. "Al, play nice."

Al hung his head, but glance at the Russian cat. Watching as he other daintily picked at the tuna in his bowl. Vanya carefully chose lumps of fish with his fangs before swallowing. What a weirdo.

'Why do you eat like that?'

'Like what?'

'Like that?' Al emphasized and tried to copy the other briefly for show.

'Oh,' The gray cat shrugged. 'Food is meant to be enjoyed, not scarfed down.'

'Hey, I enjoy my food perfectly fine.' Al snapped.

'Obviously.'

'Shut up, you're way fatter than me.' Al growled back.

'It's not fat, it's fluff.' Vanya retorted, a sour look crossing his muzzle.

'Ya, ya, that hug sure felt real fluffy.'

The Russian cats eyes narrowed and a true hiss leaked from between his fangs. Gray fur began to bristle along its back.

'I'm not fat.' Vanya said eyes glinting dangerously.

But Al didn't back down, not when his owner was so close. Besides, hero's don't flee from a fight. His own ears flattened against the top of his skull, a yowl escaping his throat.

'Liar.'

"Hey!" A loud voice rang above them followed by the stomp of a foot. The noise distracted them for a moment. "Jesus guys, I'm trying to eat here. Knock it off."

Al looked up his tired owner, who was wallowing in his morning blues. He knew Alfred wasn't morning person; he'd spent many a morning cuddling up to him in bed when he had overslept and missed a meeting. Right now the human was trying to console himself with food and what Al understood to be coffee. He didn't want to upset his owner; he truly did like the man who cared for him.

Slowly his fur shifted back into place and Al relented. Vanya seemed to understand as well and acted as if the confrontation never happened. The both ate in steely silence after that, Al trying to scarf down his food as quickly as possible so that he could leave. He didn't know how much longer he could put up with his intruder.


	4. Chapter 4

Afternoons were usually spent in the dining room lying sprawled on the table catching sunbeams. Today was no different. Al refused to let the Russian cat ruin his daily routine. His owner had gone to work, so that left him with free range of the house. That meant he could nap anywhere and everywhere he pleased, even the prized mahogany dining table.

He slept in standard fashion on his belly with his limbs sprawled out in four different directions. Totally relaxed and comfortable, he hardly heard the soft padded feet walking toward him. He only noticed when the sun was suddenly blotted out. Blue eyes glance up only to see something big, gray and furry staring back. The Russian cat's fur was illumined; the sun's rays making him glow unsettlingly.

'What do you want?' Al grumbled and closed his eyes, wanting only to go back asleep.

'I feel we have started off on the wrong paw.' The other explained.

'That's an understatement.'

'I only meant to be friendly.' Vanya assured.

'Invading someone's house isn't friendly." Al pointed out, eyes opening into blue reptilian slits.

'Ah, but I'm not invading, only visiting, surely you can tell the difference.'

'Doesn't feel like much of a difference.' Al muttered.

The gray cat fell silent and sat down on his haunches. Feeling that their conversation was over, Al closed his eyes again and waited for the annoying, sun blocking weirdo to leave. If he just ignored him, maybe he would go away and they could get through this with as little contact as possible. After all, it's not like the Russian cat would be staying forever.

Others had come to visit before and they had gotten along fairly well. Kiki, the small, bobtailed Japanese cat was one of his favorite friends. They would nap together, enjoy watching scary movies with their owners, and stroll through the garden if the season was right.

Then there was Artie, who was a total grump. Apparently Artie had found him as a kitten, but he had a hard time remembering all their history together, their split up as the most vivid in his mind. Whenever Artie came around Al couldn't help but chew on his folded ears just to annoy him.

A few other cats would come over aand visit but not as often. Felici the silly Italian cat and Wiggy the stern German cat were inseparable. Franny the handsome French cat always fun to annoy Artie with. Gil, stark white and reckless, was an awesome cat to get into trouble with. There was another cat too, but Al couldn't quite remember him or his owner very well, they were very forgettable.

All of his friends visited with their owners from time to time but never stayed long. While all had their quirks, Al felt that they were at least normal. Even Artie could pull off a certain gentlemanly swagger if he tried. This Russian cat was a freak.

A warm body curled up to his side and Al's eyes shot open again. He watched incredulously as the fluffy cat hunkered down next to him, curling up like they were the best of friends. A growl leaked out of Al's muzzle and he scooted away, which only made the Russian cat lean closer.

'What do you think you're doing?' Al snapped.

Bright, silted eyes looked at him. 'Lying down to nap of course.'

'Not here you aren't!'

'But the sunbeams are no longer in the living room.' Vanya said cocking his head. 'Can't we share?'

'No.' Al snapped. 'Go away.'

He was too upset by the intrusion of personal space to notice the sadness that flitted through those purple eyes.

'Why are you so unfriendly? Are all American cats so rude?'

'No, I'm not…' Al trailed off, was he being rude? Maybe, but the other cat kept pestering him, invading his space, insulting him, wasn't he allowed to be a little rude to get his point across? 'Are all Russian cats such freaks? Leave me alone.' He growled and swatted at the cat next to him.

Surprisingly quick for such a large cat Vanya sprung back, but couldn't avoid being smacked on the nose. The Russian cat sat up to his full height, startled by the smarting blow for a moment. Al hunched down on the table, bringing his legs under him, waiting to spring.

'You hit me.' The words were void of emotion, stating fact not surprise, but the look in Vanya's eyes made Al's blood run cold. Those amethyst eyes glared down at him icy as a bitter winter day. The look in those eyes promised pain. As the frightening aura around the Russian cat grew, Al's ears flattened against the top of his skull. 'Is that how you want you play, little one?' Vanya asked tilting his head to the side as his mouth opened showing sharp, white teeth.

Al's eyes widened as the other suddenly sprung at him. In a flash Al was running off the table, claws gouging into the wood. He jumped on the floor but had no time to rest as the clacking sound of clawed feet landed behind him. Hero or not, Al was not about to get ripped to shreds by a psychotic devil cat. He yowled as claws swatted at his tail and then Al was off once again, tearing through the house with Vanya in hot pursuit both oblivious to any and all obstacles in their way.

Later that day, Alfred sighed as he walked through the front door. Hands full of Chinese takeout boxes, he closed the door with the heel of his shoe. With his elbow he managed to flick on the lights of the foyer, his eyes widened comically behind Texas.

"Holy shit!" he cried in shock nearly dropping the takeout as he looked over the mess that was now his house.

Every room had the evidence of an all-out kitty war zone. The living room chair's upholstery had been clawed to shreds, stuffing oozing out of long gashes. Scratches were racked across wooden floors and the precious dining room table, the one Al knew he shouldn't be lying on. Food and water bowls were knocked over and flung about. A kitchen chair and somehow been overturned, it's back cracked from the fall. Curtains were mere tatters handing from metal rods.

"AL!" Alfred hollered, tossing the takeout onto the kitchen table.

It didn't take too long to find the pair of cats. The hissing and growling coming from the up the upstairs master bedroom gave them away. He found the two cats still tearing into each other on his bed. His bed! The sheets and comforter were already clawed to death, but the pair was still going at it like tigers. Pouncing, hissing, spitting, kicking, and swatting.

"That's enough!" Alfred cried from the doorway.

Both cats froze and turned to look at him with wide-eyes. Al tried to scamper away immediately, but Alfred was quick to catch both animals by the scruff of their necks. He held them both out in front of him. Alfred spared the Vanya a glance but glared at Al, who in turn gave him the biggest pair of sad eyes.

"Don't even start with me buddy, don't even start." Alfred muttered and shook his head. He stomped out of the bedroom and across the hall to the bathroom, which had the bathroom curtain knocked off and ripped. "You two need a time out until I can clean up this mess."

He tossed the cats on the rug. They landed on their feet. Al quickly made a break for the door only for it to slammed shut in his face. The cat meowed pitifully at the closed door.

"You two stay put." Alfred instructed. "If I have to come back up here Al I swear I will get the spray bottle."


	5. Chapter 5

Al cried as he clawed pitifully at the door, but he could hear the footsteps of his owner retreating. As he realized this was getting him nowhere, Al resigned himself to his fate and walked away from the door head downcast.

'Way to go.' He muttered scornfully casting a glance at the other cat.

The Russian cat had taken up residence on the bathroom rug; his back was turned to him. As Al spoke Vanya spared a look over his shoulder.

'Oh, so this if my fault?' The Russian cat asked. 'You struck me first, might I remind you.'

'Well if you hadn't-'

'Hadn't what? I have only tried to be friendly.' Vanya said coldly and turned his head away. 'I apologized for my earlier mistake, what more do you want from me? What else have I done wrong?'

Al was silent for a moment, unsure what to say. 'Listen-'

'No, you listen.' Vanya interjected, head swiveling to pin Al with an icy stare. 'Clearly, you don't want me here. I've tried to be friendly, I know that isn't my strong suit, I thought that maybe this time things would work out differently, but I was wrong. You win, all right? For the rest of my stay you won't even know I'm here, I promise.'

With that the Russian cat looked away. On silent paws Vanya walked off only to deftly spring up onto the bathroom window, back turned to Al all the while. Silence fell between them and Al wasn't sure what to do. He sat on the bathroom floor, staring up at the other cat for a second before looking away.

Al had gotten what he wanted he supposed. He wanted to be left alone, right? He'd just wanted to laze around and sleep, right? Still, this didn't feel right. Sure, Vanya was weird. He'd tried to flatten him and had insulted him. However, he hadn't exactly been the best host to begin with. Actually, when Al looked back on it he'd been kind of a grouch. That's hadn't been very heroic at all. And now his owner was upset with them both. Well, mostly him, but probably Vanya too a little.

A small sigh escaped him and Al hung his head. He had been kind of a jerk. He glanced back up at the large grey cat that was perched on the windowsill. His owner was always going on about heroes, what would be the heroic thing to do? Mustering his courage, Al leapt onto the bathroom counter, careful not the fall into the sink. This was the closest he could get to the other without jumping onto the sill too.

'Hey, I'm sorry.' Al said in a tiny voice. The Russian cat didn't acknowledge him, his ears didn't even twitch. Al took a deep breath and tried again louder this time. 'Look, I know it's kind of late, but I am sorry. I…I wasn't being the best host, I know that now. I was being a jerk. You're right; we did start off on the wrong paw. I should have been the bigger cat and tried to start over when you did…and I'm sorry I hit you. That was a pretty mean thing to do.' He waited, but still received no response from the other. 'Are you even listening to me?'

"I am." Vanya replied eyes glued to the window. "What are those?"

Al cocked his head quizzically. "What is what now?"

"What are those?" Vanya repeated, tapping his paw against the mesh screen.

Al realized the other had been staring intently out the window ever since he'd jumped up there. Curious, Al leapt up onto the sill too, albeit not as gracefully as Vanya had earlier. He glanced out the window and into the garden. His owner had a well-kept plot, the summer flowers were in full bloom, but Vanya was motioning to the tallest flowers his owner had planted, the sunflowers. The giant yellow plants had their brilliant faces turned to the blue sky. He looked at the other, watching as the grey cat never took his eyes off the plants.

'Do you want to see them?' He asked.

Purple eyes glanced at him uncertainly, but the Russian cat nodded his fuzzy head that he did.

His owner had left the window open. Al figured he was in trouble already, so what would one more bad thing really do to him? We was allowed in the backyard normally anyway. With his front paws, Al push hard again the mesh screen until it popped out of the window frame and fell onto the deck awning below.

'Follow me.' Al said and sprang out the window.

He landed safely onto the awning. Looking up he called for the other to follow. After a little reluctance, Vanya followed suit and jumped out the window too, landing behind him. Carefully, the two cats leapt off the canopy and onto the cool green grass of the backyard.

Vanya immediately padded toward the towering sunflowers and Al followed. The Russian cat walked directly into the flowerbed and plopped down onto the moist dirt where the plant's thick stalks erupted from the dark soil. Vanya stared up at them, eyes wide in awe.

'They're beautiful.'

'They're sunflowers.' Al supplied, padding up beside him and sitting down.

'Sunflowers.' Vanya said softly, testing the word. 'I don't get to see these at my home. Thank you for showing me.'

'No problem.'

The grey cat turned his head to look at him. 'I accept your apology by the way. I apologize too, for insulting the way you eat. That was…unkind.'

'Naw, it's cool. Artie says the same thing. Says I'm an uncivilized couth too, or whatever.' Al said and rolled his eyes. 'And I'm sorry too for calling you fat.'

'Accepted.' Vanya inclined his head before speaking again. 'Who is Artie?'

'Oh, um, one of my friends. He comes to visit sometimes. When he gets all prissy like that Franny and I like to tease him.' Al said, something like a grin curling along his muzzle.

'Another friend?' Vanya asked quietly.

'Yea, I haven't seen either of them for a while, but Kiki should be coming soon. He loves the garden this time of year. He acts like such an old fart sometimes.' Al said, not realizing he was rambling.

'I see.' Vanya said and glanced away. 'You are very fortunate.'

'Yea, it's nice hang'n out with your buds you know. When you go home you can tell your friends about seeing sunflowers and stuff, I bet they'll think they're neat too.'

Vanya didn't respond to that right away and that made Al look over at him. It was only then that he saw sadness flicking in the other cat's eyes.

'I do not get many visitors, neither does my owner.'

'Oh.' Al said clumsily, not having realized he'd stumbled onto a sensitive topic. 'I'm sorry.'

'It isn't your fault.' Vanya said solemnly. 'I used to have many friends, but they left. I am not very…good a keeping them. I don't get to see many cats now, especially ones that I can speak too. You're the first I've seen in a very long time.'

At that Al could feel guilt stir in this stomach. So that was why this cat was such a freak. No wonder he tried to hug him or had that creepy hissing laughing. He just didn't know how cats acted. He spent too much time around humans to know anymore.

'Well, I guess you have one now.' Al said. 'Friend I mean.'

'Do I?' Vanya asked looked down at him curiously. 'So what does that mean?'

'Duh, it means we nap!'

Under the sunflowers the two cats curled up in the soil of the flowerbed side by side basking in the sun. It wasn't until sometime later that Alfred stormed out into the backyard after fruitlessly searching the house for them. When he saw them curled together however, Alfred couldn't find it within himself to be livid anymore, and after hesitating crept back inside. Whatever had caused the spat between the two cats had disappeared under the swaying sunflowers.


	6. Chapter 6

Two and a half weeks later Alfred was ready. When Russia called to say his vacation had ended, he'd kept the other on the phone this time until he forced an exact time of arrival out of him. At six in the evening, as agreed upon, Russia arrived promptly knocking at his door.

"Dobroye utro." Russia greeted as Alfred opened the door.

"Heya," Alfred said, steeping aside allowing the larger nation to walk in. Russia was holding the cat carrier as before, empty this time of course, and set it down by the door. "So, how'd the trip go?"

As Russia stood, Alfred could see the other looked tanner than he had seen him in ages. Dark red highlighted his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose too, sunburn no doubt. His long coat hung looser on him that in had before as well. Alfred wondered exactly what kind of vacation his boss had taken him on. He thanked his lucky stars that his own boss loved to vacation in his native state; lush, beautiful Hawaii.

"It went fine, I was kept very busy." Russia answered with a smile.

"You're sunburned."

"Oh, did that not fade yet?" The Slavic nation asked, tilting his head and touching his cheek as if he had forgotten.

"Nope."

"Oh well." Russia shrugged, far too happy considering how tired he looked. "I'm assuming all went well here?"

Alfred nodded and began to lead Russia to the living room.

"We had our ups and downs. Had a rough start really, but they seemed to work it out pretty quickly." He pointed to the sofa. "They've been inseparable ever since."

On the plush sofa the two cats lay together curled tightly into one another. They were sound asleep, huddled into the warmth of each other's fur. Al was tucked close to Vanya's generous fluffy belly, who in return had thrown a protective paw over the smaller cat. They didn't stir until Russia called out sweetly.

"Hello, little one."

At the sound of his master's voice Vanya picked up his head. He blinked slowly at his owner, sleep still making him sluggish. The movement woke Al, who perked up to see what was happening. The American cat then yawned so hugely it looked as if his head might split in half. Closing his jaws, Al hunkered back down; deciding sleeping was more important than the watching nations and closed his eyes.

"They seem to get along." Russia said and Alfred couldn't help but feel a little smug at the disbelief in the other's voice.

"Well," He admitted. "They tore up the house something fierce the first day. Seriously, they like wrecked the place. But then they made up I guess and have been buddies ever since. I've had the hardest time keeping them from getting outside and into the sunflower bed though."

"Sunflowers?" Russia asked oddly curious.

"Yea, they keep getting into the garden, beats me, but they seem to like it a lot for some reason." Alfred said with a shrug.

"Ah," Russia said and opened his mouth as if to say something else, but no words came.

They stared at the two cats for a moment before Russia called again.

"All right little one, time to go."

Vanya didn't get up however; he just blinked slowly and then lowered his head, curling back up into Al's fur. A frown creased Russia's lips.

"What is with this disobedience?"

"He's a cat." Alfred said, as if that explained everything.

"He's always listened before." Russia insisted.

"They're pretty buddy buddy now, maybe he just doesn't want to leave." Alfred explained but the look on Russia's face made his heart twist.

For once the other nation expressed something genuine, other than that creepy smile. Russia actually looked kind of sad. It was weird being able to read the Slavic nation clearly. Alfred thought for a moment before speaking. The idea he came up with wasn't the best, but maybe it would stop the other from looking so bummed out.

"Uh, hey." Alfred started awkwardly. "You wanna stay for dinner or something? You know, give them time to say good bye or whatever."

Russia didn't respond right away, but gradually the sadness on his face faded and changed back into his usual smile.

"If you say so, I suppose I can."

Alfred smiled. "Yea, besides we need to discuss damages, they really wrecked the place and I had to spend a pretty penny to fix it all."

"We can do that."

"Sweet." Alfred said and noticed how Russia winced slightly as his smiled widened. "You want some aloe or something?" He asked, miming on his face where the burn afflicted the other.

"Ah, is it really so bad?" Russia asked, bringing up a hand to touch his cheek again.

"Couldn't hurt, right?" Alfred motioned of the other to follow. "Here, I have some in the bathroom upstairs."

"If you insist." Russia said quietly and trailed Alfred.

On the sofa Vanya watched his owner follow the other upstairs. His head perked up slightly as his eyes watched intently until the two nations disappeared from sight.

'What are you looking at?' Al asked sleepily, cracking open one eye.

'I think they're getting along.' Vanya confessed. 'You said your owner didn't like mine.'

'He doesn't.' Al said. 'But things change, right?'

'I suppose.' Vanya agreed. 'I think it would be good for him to have a friend.'

'Uh-huh.' Al muttered sleepily as is eye slid closed again. 'Come'on, let's go back to sleep, humans are too complicated to take seriously.'

Vanya nodded and laid his head back down. He knew why his owner had returned. While he felt happy to see the man, the thought of leaving also made his chest pang strangely. Still, he got the sense that this wouldn't be the last him he would see Al. That thought put him at ease. Gradually, he fell asleep again, lulled by the sound of his friend's loud purring.

The End


End file.
